Rick Green Punches His Way Into SCOTX Run-Off!

Remember Republican Rick Green, former State Representative from Dripping Springs? He was ousted by Democrat Patrick Rose in 2002, in a race decided by only 335 votes. Four years later, Green was apparently still upset, and on election day he punched Patrick Rose in the face at a polling location. An APB was put out for his arrest.

Well, as we posted earlier, that very same Rick Green is in a run-off for the Republican nomination to our highest civil court in Texas, the State Supreme Court. Yes! That's right. As I've heard more than one attorney say, “If Rick Green wins, we might as well tear up our law degrees.”

Rick Green is a total toolbag, as well chronicled in Paul Stekler's great documentary Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style. (If you haven't watched Last Man Standing I highly recommend it. Great stuff.)

Here's my question: if Rick Green loses the run-off, will he punch Debra Lehrmann in the face?

Unfortunately, we don't have footage handy of Rick Green punching people who beat him. But we do have a similar video of one of my favorite SNL skits, which is equally absurd as Rick Green winning a seat on our highest court. Just superimpose* Rick Green on Samberg.

* Irony: apparently it was the Rose campaign superimposing Green's photo on Rose's 2006 opponent in some direct-mail that made Green so mad he punched Rose.

Jim Sharp stands ready to challenge the winner of the run-off in the General Election. There is a Libertarian candidate, as well. Sharp actually managed to eke out a victory in the crowded 8-way judicial poll conducted by the State Bar of Texas. Should Green actually win–I have little faith that the GOP Run-Off voters will pick the woman, who is currently a District Judge and therefore not nearly as woefully unqualified in this race–we've got to make sure folks pay close attention to this race now through November.

About Author

Katherine Haenschen is a PhD candidate at the University of Texas, where she studies political participation on digital media. She has previously managed successful candidate, issue, voter registration, and GOTV campaigns in Austin. In addition to serving as the president of Austin Young Democrats, she is also UCONN's #1 fan in Texas.

11 Comments

Ric GreenThe really horrible thought is that Green has a real chance of winning the GOP Run-off. The turnout will be small and he has the organized support of the “Wall” people who oppose the First Amendment. That may be enough to carry him thru. Plus the power of the straight ticket vote in November could well be enough to win then too. It would take the unified voice of ALL the media as was the case with the “not the real” Don Yarbrough some years ago to defeat him. But no one seems to be listening to the media these days. Our Supreme Court is bad enough already. Green's being on the bench would make it a laughing stock.

You probably think such endorsements mean nothing, but past gubernatorial races in California and Minnesota confirm that there are plenty of voters who find such side-show novelties very appealing. Every time you see someone repeating the story about Rick Green punching Pat Rose in the face, remind yourself that you are just reinforcing an image that Green embraces and does not run away from because — I assure you — Rick Green is not too worried about people associating him with punching a young pretty-boy lawyer in the face. I suspect Rick Green gains more than one vote for every vote he might lose as a result of punching Pat Rose in the face.

Second, I know plenty of Democrats who have expressed the strong desire to punch Pat Rose in the face (because it seems like I recall that Pat was once a very close political henchman to a certain GOP speaker of the house who I will not name for fear of starting a riot). I'm not sure who is going to blame Rick Green for doing what so many people in both parties have contemplated at one time or another.

Rick Green? ROTFLMAO (sort of)Somewhere, out in the cosmos, Charlotte Rhodes is screaming. Charlotte, remember when we sat in your kitchen before you passed on and talked about bad pennies turning up? Once again, we were right on target. The possibility of Green on the Supreme Court . . . brrrr!